Biden to Announce Port Construction for Gaza Aid in 'State of the Union' Speech

Senior U.S. officials stated that President Joe Biden will announce a project to construct a temporary port on the Mediterranean coast during his 'State of the Union' speech on Thursday night, March 8, to facilitate humanitarian aid delivery by sea to the Gaza Strip. According to them, U.S. military personnel will not be stationed in Gaza at this port, which was initially planned to be built on the island of Cyprus, and Washington will not wait for Israel's approval for this project. These officials also mentioned that Hamas is delaying a new agreement with Israel regarding a six-week ceasefire and the release of hostages because the Islamist group has not agreed to the release of sick and elderly hostages. An official noted the deadlock in negotiations in Egypt, stating, 'This agreement has been on the table for over a week.' On Thursday, Hamas left negotiations in Cairo, claiming that Israel did not agree to its demands for a ceasefire and withdrawal of its forces from Gaza. Biden's decision to order the construction of a temporary port on the Gaza coast came after a warning from the United Nations about widespread famine in Gaza. Israel claims that Hamas, supported by the Iranian government, killed 1,200 people and took 253 hostages during its assault on southern Israel. One official said that Biden will announce in his congressional speech that he is directing the U.S. military to 'begin an emergency mission to construct a port in Gaza in collaboration with like-minded countries and humanitarian partners.' According to this official, although Israel has agreed to increase the number of aid trucks entering Gaza and the U.S. and other countries are dropping aid from the air, the amount of aid is insufficient. The official continued, 'We are not waiting for Israel. Now is the time for American leadership.' This temporary port is expected to increase humanitarian aid to Palestinians in Gaza by 'hundreds of additional trucks' per day, and the U.S. will coordinate the security of the shipments with Israel. The U.S. will also work with the United Nations and humanitarian organizations involved in aid distribution in Gaza. He emphasized that planning and construction operations for this port will take several weeks, and the necessary U.S. forces are either already in the region or will be deployed soon. The official added, 'This port will initially be operated by military forces, but Washington intends to convert it into a commercial port.' Biden's fourth annual 'State of the Union' speech comes amid the continuation of two major wars in the Middle East and Europe, ongoing U.S. air aid to civilians in Gaza; Netanyahu: Attacks on Hamas will continue. John Kirby told Voice of America that Biden will emphasize continued support for Ukraine in his 'State of the Union' speech.